Costain Group (LON:COST) Shares Down 14.3% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Costain Group PLC shares dropped by 14.3% during mid-day trading, reaching a low of GBX 135 ($1.82) and with a trading volume that surged 416% above its average.
• Insider sales are notable, with Alex Vaughan selling 241,639 shares and Helen Willis selling 100,082 shares recently, totaling over £490,000 in transactions.
• The company's market capitalization stands at £372.84 million, with a P/E ratio of 12.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.86, indicating a high level of leverage.

Costain Group PLC (LON:COST - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 14.3% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as GBX 135 ($1.82) and last traded at GBX 140 ($1.89). 7,245,514 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 416% from the average session volume of 1,403,429 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 163.40 ($2.21).

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on Costain Group from GBX 150 to GBX 175 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Costain Group from GBX 115 to GBX 150 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 162.50.

Costain Group Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of £351.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 2.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 153.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 125.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.86.

Costain Group (LON:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The company reported GBX 5.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Costain Group had a return on equity of 13.56% and a net margin of 2.33%. As a group, analysts forecast that Costain Group PLC will post 13.7551582 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costain Group

In other news, insider Kate Rock purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 138 per share, with a total value of £13,800. Also, insider Helen Willis sold 100,082 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 142, for a total value of £142,116.44. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 612,435 shares of company stock valued at $87,561,906. Company insiders own 6.43% of the company's stock.

Costain Group Company Profile

Costain helps to improve people's lives by creating connected, sustainable infrastructure that enables people and the planet thrive. We shape, create and deliver pioneering solutions that transform the performance of the infrastructure ecosystem across the UK's energy, water, transportation and defence markets.